Inaugural Address
Delivered @ National Seminar , Islamiah College, Vaniyambadi on 18-19 Feb, 2012 KEY-NOTE ADDRESS C. Khaiser Ahmed General Secretary Vaniyambadi Muslim Educational Society Vaniyambadi I congratulate Islamiah College (Autonomous), Vaniyambadi for successfully organizing UGC sponsored two-day National Seminar with an innovative and relevant theme ‘Trends in Research’. The college has been playing a leadership role in promoting research activities in this part of India. From the program schedule, I understand that it is an inter-disciplinary seminar for identifying the emerging trends in natural and social sciences, and in humanities as well. This is the first of its kind in India to equip the researchers – supervisors as well as scholars – to undertake research and prove their metal in their chosen fields of investigation. If I take stock of the most important scientific breakthroughs in 2011 in physical sciences I have a long list of achievements made by the international scientific community. Human knowledge is extended in the following fields: ·''' 'The New York Stem Cell Foundation has cloned stem cells from human embryos''' '''·' 'Lin led a team of researchers at Shanghai University to discover a fuel cell that used light energy to clean organic compounds in waste water''' '''·' 'Several different anti-malaria vaccines are under trial with experiments involving thousands of children in African countries''' '''·' 'MIT has discovered a drug that kills a broad-spectrum of viruses; that could mean a cure for the common cold, bird flu, AIDS and so on''' '''·' 'Cancer Centre of the University of Pennsylvania found a more effective alternative to chemotherapy. This is a genetic-engineering method to fight leukemia cells''' '''·' 'Harvard Medical School has found a way to reverse aging by genetic engineering''' '''·' 'Baker of the University of Washington developed a video-game that is useful for molecular mapping of the HIV virus''' '''·' 'We are closer to learn whether the God particle (Higgs Boson) exists or not. Similarly, experiments at Geneva based research are going to prove whether neutrinos can travel faster than light disproving Einsteinian principle''' In social sciences breakthroughs, human knowledge is advanced in several areas: · Mark, researcher of Psychology at University of Pittsburgh found a method (by looking into the eyes of children) of early detection of artisan through the eyes of children. · Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) developed new methodologies to improve the quality and scientific power of data collected in behavioral and social sciences research. · Harvard Business School has given us a list of attributes of successful corporates after pains taking research. · The Social Science Research Council announced the discoveries relating to the big questions about human purpose and ultimate reality · National Institute of Mental Health made a breakthrough in discovering the factors of depression · Management Science Journal reports new discoveries in business strategy, product development, simulation, decision analysis, entrepreneurship, operations, supply chain management and optimization and modeling. In social sciences, research output should contribute to the society, government policy formulation and corporate strategies, scientific investigations, combine insight, theories, experiment, data collection and validation. I am little disappointed with the research contribution of Indian higher educational institutions. I am depressed in 2011. It is a year in which all of our IITs, IIMs are knocked out from the top 500 list excepting Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Not a single Indian University including our IITs and IIMs came in the top 500 universities of the world ranked in terms of research, publications, citations etc. The organizers of the seminar have provided a platform for discussion on the status and issues of research in natural and social sciences in Indian context. Historical research expands horizons of human understanding and gives historical perspective of any discipline. The seminar has taken care of this aspect as well. There is a need for human beings to get knowledge from revealed sources too. Research done at Islamiah College (Autonomous), Vaniyambadi has contributed to the development of management thought from Islamic perspective. Though, in the fields of finance, banking and economics lot of work has been done drawing on pristine sources of Islam, not much research work is available in the fields of social sciences like business management, psychology, sociology. The following are the noteworthy contributions made by researchers in our College in the area of Islamic business management: '''·' 'God’s manifestation (Tajalli) in man can be a source of human potentiality. An Islamic Theory of Motivation has been articulated''' '''·' '''Shura' System of decision-making is described for the benefit of business executives' ·''' 'Methods of improvement of Quality of work life of the organizational members are delineated''' '''·' 'What constitutes Islamic and western visions of corporate culture has been brought out''' '''·' '''We are closer to get answers to the question: How to improve managerial emotional intelligence from the training methods prescribed by Islam. The whole discussion is becoming serious and academic. Let me end on a humorous note. Permit me to deviate from the boring theme of research. A person went to a publisher with a manuscript of poetry for publication. After reading the manuscript the publisher started shaking hands with the fake poet saying “Jolly, glad to meet you Wordsworth! I thought you were dead”. It was a copied poetry. Please do not plagiarize even in matter of ideas, or in your theories and report writing. Copying somebody’s ideas is the worst kind of crime. There is a technology called “Turnitin” which can detect your percentage of plagiarism. This seminar therefore, provides for sessions like “out of the box thinking” and “excellent presentation techniques” of your thesis. Please think creatively! Theorize logically! Prove effectively! And write elegantly! Let us not be casual about the language, for it is the only asset we humans have.’ I wish and pray let 2012 will be a year of innovation for your investigations. Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen.